• As largest-ever U.S. probe of RX drug abuse conducted in Va. problem worsens (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Donna M. George was a grandmother living in a gated community in Fredericksburg when she sold prescription drugs out of her kitchen -- while babysitting for her three grandchildren.
  
  
  
• Retail sales up slightly in February, despite nationwide snowstorms (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  February's cross-country snowstorms couldn't freeze out consumers as retail sales rose 0.3 percent for the month, according to government data released Friday.
  
  
  
• U.S., Europe at odds over global financial reform (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  A feud between the United States and Europe has cast doubt on the likelihood of a comprehensive global response to the financial crisis that nearly sparked a worldwide depression, according to regulators and analysts.
  
  
  
• Borrowers in foreclosure prevention plan losing mortgage aid (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  About 90,000 distressed borrowers have lost their mortgage aid under the government's foreclosure prevention plan, and many more are at risk of losing the help, according to Treasury Department data released Friday.
  
  
  
  
• Obama's likely choices for Federal Reserve indicate a more activist role (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  President Obama's likely selections for three top positions at the Federal Reserve signal that he wants the central bank to focus on driving down unemployment and taking a more active role in protecting consumers.
  
  
  
• Finding federal job after being fired (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Derrick T. Dortch, president of the Diversa Group, is a career counselor who specializes in government job searches and military transition. This is adapted from a recent chat at washingtonpost.com.
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• How much time and energy to invest in a job opportunity? (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  How much time and energy should you spend pursuing a particular job opportunity? Several times recently I have invested a large amount of time (filling out applications, going in for multiple interviews) or money (printing portfolios, missing hours of work, paying for travel expenses) in the process...
  
  
  
• Congress is long overdue for serious effort at tax reform (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Congress is ready for a nap. The financial crisis was a year-long emergency. Health-care reform has been a seemingly endless grind. No one quite knows what to do about jobs. Cap-and-trade seems doomed in the Senate, which means all the work the House did to pass its bill was for nothing. The elec...
  
  
  
  
• IRS offers help paying taxes (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  For the second year, the Internal Revenue Service is reaching out to folks in financial trouble.
  
  
  
• File Smart: It's time to make sure you've covered your tax bases (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  With just a month until the filing deadline, it's time to get serious about taxes.
  
  
  
• REITs show rising prices but growing risks (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Analysts, bloggers, real estate dealmakers and managers of mutual funds are as puzzled as I am about the 90 percent rise in REIT indexes since March 2009. Commercial real estate lags the business cycle, so shares of real estate investment trusts normally do not rebound until after it's apparent the...
  
  
  
• How to calculate the AMT, a tax we love to hate (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Although almost everyone denounces it, the AMT is a big moneymaker for Uncle Sam, collecting more than $22 billion from four million taxpayers for 2008 alone. Congress has not found a replacement for this lucrative revenue raiser. Since 2001, however, lawmakers have approved a temporary patch each...
  
  
  
  
• Report faults executives with manipulating Lehman Brothers' balance sheet (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  A high-profile report on Lehman Brothers raises fresh questions about whether senior executives at the failed Wall Street investment bank presented a misleading picture of its financial health and whether government regulators did enough to prevent the firm's sudden collapse.
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• Employers plan to shift more health-care costs to workers, survey reports (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Most big employers plan to shift a larger share of health-care costs to their workers next year, according to a survey released Thursday.
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• Obama's ambitious export plan may rekindle free-trade battle (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  President Obama unveiled plans Thursday to double U.S. exports over the next five years in hopes of spurring job growth, an ambitious goal that may rekindle the battle over free-trade policy.
  
  
  
• New round of foreclosures threatens housing market (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The housing market is facing swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but have yet to lose their homes, and this is threatening a new wave of foreclosures that could hit just as the real estate market has begun to stabilize.
  
  
  
  
• Financial system reforms won't wait (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Senate banking committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said Thursday he will move forward next week with sweeping legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, despite failing to resolve key differences with Republicans.
  
  
  
• Republicans name six to Obama's deficit-reduction commission (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Congressional Republicans named six members to President Obama's deficit-reduction commission Friday, choosing the party's most respected leaders on budget issues and hard-line conservatives who said they are determined to steer the panel toward cutting spending and away from raising taxes.
  
  
  
• Democrats try to find the right compromises for financial reform (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Democratic staffers at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue scrambled Friday to write the financial reform legislation that Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) has promised to unveil Monday , trying to find language that would please Democrats while preserving progress toward a compromise with...
  
  
  
• Calif. county sues Toyota, accuses automaker of hiding evidence of defects (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  In the latest blow to Toyota Motor, a Southern California prosecutor filed the first consumer protection lawsuit against the automaker, claiming it had engaged in "fraud" by hiding evidence of dangerous vehicle defects.
  
  
  
  
• Campaign stunt launches a corporate 'candidate' for Congress (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Murray Hill might be the perfect candidate for this political moment: young, bold, media-savvy, a Washington outsider eager to reshape the way things are done in the nation's capital. And if these are cynical times, well, then, it's safe to say Murray Hill is by far the most cynical.
  
  
  
• Unemployment rate for young veterans hits 21.1 percent (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The unemployment rate last year for young veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars hit 21.1 percent, the Labor Department said Friday, reflecting a tough obstacle that combat veterans face as they make the transition home from war.
  
  
  
• Black & Decker shareholders back Stanley Works merger (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  MERGERS & AQUISITIONS Shareholders voted in favor of a nearly $3.5 billion stock buyout, clearing the final hurdle for Stanley Works to acquire Black & Decker.
  
  
  
• Senators critical of salary expenses at Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Several Republican senators are questioning expenses at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a national nonprofit organization that receives millions of dollars in federal funding.
  
  
  
  
• New funding projection could squeeze Obama's education agenda (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:36:02 EST)
  In the final push to pass a major student aid bill pending in Congress, funding for key elements in President Obama's education agenda is dwindling.
  
  
  
• On eve of U.S. visit, Irish prime minister Cowen says more cuts are possible (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  LONDON -- At a time of deep concern over growing government debt in Europe and the United States, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen is heading to Washington as a global spokesman for fiscal restraint.
  
  
  
• China holds firm against Google, says firm must obey its laws (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  BEIJING -- China's top Internet regulator warned Google on Friday that it must obey Chinese laws or "pay the consequences," in the bluntest official reaction yet to Google's threat to pull out of China unless the government stops censoring the Internet.
  
  
  
• Steven Pearlstein reviews 'The Big Short' by Michael Lewis (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  "The Blind Side" and "Moneyball" author Michael Lewis turns his attention to the U.S. financial crisis.
  
  
  
  
• FEMA's sale of Katrina trailers sparks criticism (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  In a giant auction, the federal government has agreed to sell for pennies on the dollar most of the 120,000 formaldehyde-tainted trailers it bought nearly five years ago for Hurricane Katrina victims. But the sale of the units, perhaps the most visible symbol of the government's bungled response to...
  
  
  
• New York AG Cuomo recuses himself from probe of Gov. Paterson (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he has recused himself and appointed an independent counsel to probe whether Gov. David A. Paterson illegally took World Series tickets or had improper contact with a woman who accused an aide of domestic violence.
  
  
  
• AIG, federal czar reach deal on rest of bonus pay to be returned (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  American International Group has reached an agreement with the Obama administration's compensation czar to pay back the remaining money employees agreed to return last year after an uproar over bonuses at the insurance giant, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
  
  
  
• Hollywood Stock Exchange is a stacked deck in a casino royale (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Investors learned this week of Wall Street's latest attraction -- a new "futures" market where anyone from casual moviegoers to Hollywood moguls would be able to wager on the success of upcoming movies.
  
  
  
  
• Americans' net worth rises for third straight quarter (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Americans regained more of their shrunken wealth last quarter, mainly because of gains in stock portfolios. The Federal Reserve reported Thursday that household net worth rose 1.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, to $54.2 trillion. Net worth rose 4.5 percent in the second quarter and 5.5...
  
  
  
• Maryland's strong alcohol lobby likely to quash tax increase (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  In recent years, Maryland has raised its sales tax, income tax, corporate tax and cigarette tax; added a surcharge called the "millionaires' tax"; and created taxes on electronic bingo, tip jars and even water and septic systems -- the "flush tax."
  
  
  
• Aftershocks a reality check for Chilean President Sebastián Piñera (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  SANTIAGO, CHILE -- Sebastián Piñera pledged during his presidential campaign to bring fiscal prudence to Chile, but moments before his inauguration Thursday, he received a jolting reminder of how last month's 8.8-magnitude earthquake has shredded that promise.
  
  
  
• Northrop Grumman to cut 180 jobs in Maryland (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Northrop Grumman said Thursday that it issued layoff notices to 180 employees at its Hagerstown, Md., maintenance and modification center.
  
  
  
  
• Director says NHTSA responded properly on Toyota's problems (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The chief of the nation's auto safety regulators rejected criticism on Thursday that his agency made mistakes and responded too slowly to years of complaints regarding runaway Toyotas.
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• Treasury hopes new rules send short sales to the rescue of underwater mortgages (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  With new Treasury Department rules designed to expedite short sales set to take effect April 5, relief can't come soon enough for some area buyers, sellers and real estate agents who have waded through a long and arduous process to get short sales approved by the bank.
  
  
  
• Some tax issues to consider on mortgage write-downs (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  With the Obama administration and private lenders actively considering mortgage principal-reduction programs to help financially distressed homeowners, the Internal Revenue Service has issued a new advisory to taxpayers who receive -- or seek to receive -- such assistance. The IRS gets involved in...
  
  
  
• Washington area housing market is getting competitive again, buyers and brokers report (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  It's getting competitive out there in the Washington area housing market, according to real estate brokers and buyers. And February market statistics just reported from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, the local multiple listing service, back up their reports.
  
  
  
  
• FHA challenged on projected risk to taxpayers (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The Federal Housing Administration will need taxpayer money because it failed to properly project how borrowers with FHA-backed loans are affected by job losses and diminished equity in their homes, New York University professor Andrew Caplin told a House panel Thursday.
  
  
  
• Compromise would shield payday lenders, pawnbrokers and car dealers from oversight (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Payday lenders, pawnbrokers, car dealers and other companies that make loans but do not hold bank charters would be shielded from the scrutiny of a proposed federal consumer protection regulator under the terms of a tentative compromise between senators who are attempting to craft a bipartisan bill.
  
  
  
• Making legal aid more accessible and affordable (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  It's time to make it more accessible and affordable.
  
  
  
• GAO analyst says cost overruns, delays continue to plague F-35 program (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  A congressional auditor said Thursday that the Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program, "continues to struggle with increased costs and slowed progress," leading to "substantial risk" that the defense contractor will not be able to build the jet on time or deliver as many...
  
  
  
  
• Ex-official David Loglisci's guilty plea advances N.Y. state pension probe (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  NEW YORK -- A former New York state official pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony in connection with an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving the state's pension system, a move that legal experts said could bring the investigation closer to one of Wall Street's most prominent financiers, Steven...
  
  
  
• February set deficit record; Google says China feud may be resolved soon (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the government's budget deficit in February totaled $220.9 billion, the largest monthly figure yet and 14 percent higher than the previous record from February 2009. The deficit for the first five months of this budget year is $651.6 billion, 10.5 percent...
  
  
  
• Finding solid footing as banks' overdrafts get overhauled (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  I've been noticing a lot of notice fatigue lately. By now, you may have become a bit overwhelmed with correspondence from your bank or credit union about mandated changes to your credit card account.
  
  
  
• FHA considers down payment requirements (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:40:02 EST)
  The Federal Housing Administration has concluded that its loan volume would have dipped by 40 percent in the next fiscal year and that 300,000 first-time home buyers would have been shut out of the housing market if it had raised its down payment requirements, as critics have pressured it to do, ...
  
  
  
  
• Politics, shaky economy create no rush to restructure Fannie and Freddie (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The federal government has spent the past half year seeking to roll back its emergency efforts at propping up the financial markets -- with the notable exception of its involvement in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
  
  
  
• NHTSA chief says rate of Toyota complaints was 'unremarkable' (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Federal regulators have faced torrents of criticism for not moving more aggressively against Toyota during years of complaints regarding runaway cars.
  
  
  
• Familiar hurdles for U.S. as it ramps up pressure on firms doing trade with Iran (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Congress and the Obama administration are stepping up pressure on private companies to stop doing business with Iran, but their efforts are running into the same problems U.S. sanctions have encountered for three decades -- reluctance in Europe and a host of elusive trading companies eager to sell...
  
  
  
• Gay marriages expected to create wedding-related jobs in D.C. (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Georgetown residents Christopher Cahill and Richard Marshall consider the $75,000 wedding that they're planning for June to be their own "personal stimulus package" for the District economy. And local businesses are already seeing the dollar signs.
  
  
  
  
• Inspectors from Toyota and NHTSA descend upon San Diego to examine runaway Prius (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Toyota's run of troubles and terrible timing continues.
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• Wall Street could learn from book that finds money isn't everything (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  You would have thought that after the junk-bond scandals of the 1980s, the tech bubble of the 1990s and our recent market meltdown, Wall Street would have finally acknowledged the folly of trying to motivate employees through outsize performance bonuses.
  
  
  
• Senate financial bill appears likely to keep Fed as regulator of big banks (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Key members of the Senate banking committee are coalescing around legislation that would strip the Federal Reserve of much of its regulatory authority but would leave the central bank with oversight of the nation's largest banks, according to aides familiar with the ongoing negotiations.
  
  
  
• Rise in Washington area unemployment seen as good sign for economy's recovery (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Unemployment rates rose in the District, Maryland and Virginia in January, a shift that economists said could be a positive sign for the economy because it suggests that discouraged job-seekers are feeling more optimistic about their prospects and have resumed looking for work.
  
  
  
  
• Senate passes $140 billion in tax breaks, aid to unemployed (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The Senate approved a $140 billion package of tax breaks and aid to the unemployed Wednesday, the most substantial effort by the chamber to boost the nation's economy since it passed the stimulus bill last year.
  
  
  
• House bans earmarks to for-profit companies (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Facing an election-year backlash over runaway spending and ethics scandals, House Democrats moved Wednesday to ban earmarks for private companies, sparking a war between the parties over which would embrace the most dramatic steps to change the way business is done in Washington.
  
  
  
• In St. Louis area, Obama pounds drum for health-care initiative (Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  ST. CHARLES, MO. -- President Obama made an impassioned case Wednesday for his health-care proposal, delivering a folksy, partisan argument for reform as industry groups prepare a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to defeat it.
  
  
  
• House Ways and Means Chairman Levin says job creation will be top priority (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  As he takes the reins of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Sander M. Levin is vowing to raise the profile of a once-powerful panel that, in recent years, has been overshadowed by the ethics troubles of its previous chairman, Rep. Charles B. Rangel.
  
  
  
  
• Bank of America changes overdraft policy; SEC takes on market rumors (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
  
  
• Wall Street's role in Greek crisis should be no surprise (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  As I look at the uproar over Wall Street's role in the Greek crisis, one of the things I find most surprising is that anyone is surprised about Wall Street's conduct. You're upset that the Street helped Greece hide some of its debt and then began making bets that the debt wouldn't be paid? Welcome...
  
  
  
• Are unemployment benefits no longer temporary? (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Millions of Americans have been forced to rely on unemployment payments for extended periods as the nation struggles through its longest period of high joblessness in a generation, and critics are taking aim, saying that the Depression-era program created as a temporary bridge for laid-off worker...
  
  
  
• Greece seeks U.S. help regulating speculators (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou will seek President Obama's support at the White House on Tuesday for a European campaign to crack down on global financial speculation that critics say has exacerbated Europe's worst debt crisis in decades.
  
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• Northrop halts pursuit of tanker contract (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Defense giant Northrop Grumman said Monday that it is pulling out of the $40 billion competition to build aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force, a move that defense analysts and procurement specialists say leaves its rival Boeing as the likely winner.
  
  
  
• AIG sells Alico unit to MetLife for $15.5 billion (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  American International Group announced Monday the sale of one of its major global insurance units to MetLife for $15.5 billion, the latest step in the insurance giant's quest to pay down its massive debt to U.S. taxpayers.
  
  
  
• Thousands rally to support health-care reform in downtown Washington (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Amid a sea of brightly colored T-shirts and wave after wave of protest signs, Regina Holliday's homemade banner still stuck out as she marched Tuesday in support of health-care reform.
  
  
  
• Senate jobs bill moves toward final vote (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The Senate's latest jobs bill cleared a key procedural hurdle Tuesday, with the chamber voting to limit debate on a $150 billion package of tax-break extensions and aid for the unemployed.
  
  
  
  
• House Democrats seek to limit earmarks to show commitment to ethics (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Seeking to reclaim the reform mantle amid a series of scandals, House Democratic leaders are advocating a move that would shake up the multibillion-dollar practice of awarding no-bid contracts known as congressional earmarks.
  
  
  
• FDA says Basic Food Flavors knew plant was contaminated with salmonella (Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The company at the heart of a growing recall of processed foods knew that its plant was contaminated with salmonella but continued to make a flavoring and sell it to foodmakers around the country, according to inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration.
  
  
  
• Federal regulators debunk rumors of short-selling ban (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:44:11 EST)
  Federal regulators shot down rumors in the financial markets Tuesday afternoon that they were planning to ban short-selling of stocks in which the government has a stake.
  
  
  
• D.C. law firm Arent Fox names Mark M. Katz new chairman (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The Washington law firm Arent Fox said Monday that it has named longtime partner Mark M. Katz as its new chairman, a leadership change that comes as the legal sector copes with an economic downturn that has curtailed business and prompted layoffs.
  
  
  
  
• Obama launches attack on health insurance companies (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The White House is mounting a stinging, sustained broadside against health insurance rate increases as President Obama and his aides enter what they hope will be the final stretch of a year-long political war over health-care reform.
  
  
  
• U.S. cotton subsidies spur trade sanctions in Brazil (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  BRAZIL
  
  
  
• Video Vault, cult movie rental favorite, to close in April (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Another video rental store might have been content to boast a "Horror" section, but Alexandria's Video Vault always catered to far more specialized tastes.
  
  
  
• What is a credit default swap? (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  That's part of what Greece's prime minister, George Papandreou, blames for his country's financial crisis. A credit default swap is a form of insurance on bonds that investors buy and sell. When it looks like a bond issuer might have trouble paying, its CDS prices soar because the bonds are more...
  
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• Toyota demo counters claim of electronic acceleration glitch (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Embattled Japanese auto giant Toyota launched a broad counter-attack on Monday aimed at refuting research that suggests electronics may be at the heart of runaway acceleration problems that have led the automaker to recall more than 6 million vehicles.
  
  
  
• Analysis finds uneasy mix in auto industry and regulation (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Dozens of former federal officials are playing leading roles in helping carmakers handle federal investigations of auto defects, including those for Toyota's runaway-acceleration problems.
  
  
  
• A ski bum turns his love of the slopes into a living (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Chris Chapman owns an Anne Arundel County business that sounds deceptively simple. It brings him a comfortable six-figure income on more than $1 million in revenue, allows him to employ a handful of relatives and is built around a sport he loves.
  
  
  
• Foreign Digest: Pakistan, Iran, China, Guantanamo, Dubai, Haiti (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella militant group that had been weakened in recent months, staged a forceful resurgence Monday with an attack that killed at least 12 in the heartland city of Lahore. As the workday began, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-packed truck into an unmarked...
  
  
  
  
• Disney allows Cablevision to resume showing WABC-7 as revenue negotiations continue (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  ABC returned to the televisions of Cablevision's 3 million New York area subscribers late Sunday, allowing viewers to catch most of the Academy Awards. But the companies didn't say whether they had ended their tense and bitter impasse over how much the cable operator should pay Walt Disney Co., t...
  
  
  
• With bank credit frozen, small U.S. businesses starting to turn to microlenders (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Ryan Fochler's life changed six years ago when he left his job in the computer industry to buy an Arlington County-based dog-walking business with $50,000 in personal savings and a home-equity line of credit. The firm grew quickly, with revenue more than doubling each year. By 2008, Fochler was r...
  
  
  
• Icelanders reject full repayment to British, Dutch caught in bank collapse (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  LONDON -- Icelanders this weekend resoundingly rejected a plan to reimburse overseas depositors after the failure of an online Icelandic bank, a rare public referendum on the repayment of a foreign liability that could fuel further concerns over debt problems in Europe.
  
  
  
• Bankruptcy law doesn't restrict free speech, Supreme Court says (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  A federal law that bars attorneys from telling clients who are contemplating bankruptcy to take on more debt is not an unconstitutional restriction on the free-speech rights of lawyers, the Supreme Court decided Monday.
  
  
  
  
• Obama nominates Robert A. Harding to lead TSA (Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  President Obama nominated retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert A. Harding on Monday to lead the Transportation Security Administration, selecting someone unknown to the aviation industry and federal unions to lead one of the government's most visible agencies.
  
  
  
• Second Life's virtual money can become real-life cash (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Dana Moore sells rain. He sells a lot of it, for about a buck per reusable storm.
  
  
  
• INSIDER TRANSACTIONS (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
  
  
• Featured Advertiser (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  
  
• U.S. reportedly gives billions to firms doing business with Iran (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The U.S. government, while pushing for tougher sanctions against Tehran, has given $107 billion in the past 10 years to U.S. and foreign companies doing business in Iran, much of it in the energy sector, the New York Times reported in its Sunday editions.
  
  
  
  
• Key vacancies give Obama a chance to steer financial reform (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  President Obama has the chance during his first term to appoint leaders for each of the federal agencies that oversee banks, an important opportunity to reshape the government's approach to regulation even as the White House struggles to push structural reforms through the Senate.
  
  
  
• APPOINTMENTS (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  A-T Solutions of Vienna named Paul McQuillan , former president of Leonie Industries, executive vice president of business development.
  
  
  
• Is the job market actually improving? JOLTS data may tell. (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  After a spurt of major economic data last week, most of it moderate to positive, this week will offer something of a breather.
  
  
  
• Face Time: Local tech events (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  MONDAY Job Search Support Group. A four-week workshop on practical job-search techniques also offers support and inspiration from others to help face the challenges of finding a job in the current economy. 10:30 to noon, 401 N. Washington St., Suite 100, Rockville. Sponsor: Montgomery County...
  
  
  
  
• Bankruptcy filings in Virginia, Maryland and the District (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  These companies recently filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's local clerk of court offices.
  
  
  
• Neil's Must Reads (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Elected officials like to look toward sexy new industries such as clean energy technology as answers for job creation. But a McKinsey Global Institute study argues that the actual number of jobs created by such industries is small, and leaders may be better off looking to more conventional service...
  
  
  
• New at the Top: Chris Pettingill, RHI Executive Search (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  The first job I landed after finishing school was at a community college, where I helped students find jobs. The community in which I worked had been experiencing high unemployment. But I was determined.
  
  
  
• (Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Position : Group managing director at RHI Executive Search, a D.C.-based company.
  
  
  
  
• Big brands can be inept at defusing blog storms over recalls (Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  In the past few days, we've seen product recalls for more than 1.5 million General Motors and Nissan automobiles for, respectively, faulty power steering and defective brakes. Closer to home, 1,000 "climate control" footrests, made by company based in Itasca, Ill., called Fellowes, were taken out...
  
  
  
• Color of Money Challenge: Soon-to-be-former inmates ready to rebuild their lives (Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  Stephanie Harris's management and sales skills helped her earn $3,000 for just six or seven hours of work on a "good" day.
  
  
  
• Washington lawyer Bob Barnett is the force behind many political book deals (Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  In "I, Alex Cross," the new bestseller set in Washington by James Patterson, fictional detective Alex Cross scans the ego wall in the office of a senator he's investigating:
  
  
  
• Financial reform bill likely to lose measure to protect Main Street investors (Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST)
  When financial reform legislation finally lands on the Senate floor, a provision that advocates call the single most important item for Main Street investors will probably have been banished from the ponderous bill.
  
  
  
  

• Journey to the Center of the Earth (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  Miles below the ocean floor lies enough oil to power the U.S. for more than a decade—and perhaps our best shot at energy independence.

  
  

  
  
  
• Toyota and the End of Japan (Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  

  
  

  
  
  
• Can We Really Forgive and Forget? (Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  

  
  

  
  
  
• Not Quite So Exotic (Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  Hedge funds are hitting middle age.

  
  

  
  
  
• Congressional Kabuki (Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  After two days of testimony, have we really learned more about what's wrong with Toyota?

  
  

  
  
  
• Too Big to Succeed (Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  As Toyota and Hummer have learned, growing too fast can be a dangerous thing.

  
  

  
  
  
• A Bumpy Road Ahead (Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  Toyota enters this week's congressional hearings reeling from news of a criminal investigation and claims that it withheld evidence.

  
  

  
  
  
• Not as Good as They Look (Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  Inflation will hurt emerging markets.

  
  

  
  
  
• The Stimulus in My Neighborhood (Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  Washington's $787 billion economic package is spread far and wide. But that doesn't mean local residents are seeing its impact directly.

  
  

  
  
  
• ‘The 50-State Katrina’ (Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT)
  Despite $300 billion from Washington, the nation's real estate market remains sickly.

  
  

  
  
  

• Data, Fed to test if rally has legs (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:46:13 -0500)
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors will try to tack another leg on to the year-long U.S. stock rally, looking to next week's economic data and statement from the central bank for evidence the recovery is still on track.

  
  

  
  
  
• Euro finance ministers to agree on Greek aid: source (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:34:18 -0500)
  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers are likely to agree on Monday on a mechanism for aiding Greece financially, if it is required, but will leave out any sums until Athens asks for them, an EU source said on Saturday.

  
  

  
  
  
• UBS may return to commodities in 2010: report (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:14:03 -0500)
  ZURICH (Reuters) - UBS is considering possibly returning to its commodities business this year, some of which it sold during the financial crisis, a Swiss newspaper said on Saturday, citing the co-head of UBS's investment bank.

  
  

  
  
  
• Google "99.9 pct" sure to shut China search engine: report (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:34:03 -0500)
  SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Talks with China over censorship have reached an apparent impasse and Google, the world's largest search engine, is now "99.9 percent" certain to shut its Chinese search engine, the Financial Times said on Saturday.

  
  

  
  
  
• Uranium major Niger urged to review contracts (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:49:53 -0500)
  NIAMEY (Reuters) - The new junta ruling in Niger, one of the world's biggest uranium producers, should review and possibly renegotiate dozens of resource exploitation contracts, civil rights groups said on Saturday.

  
  

  
  
  
• China's Wen gives no ground on calls for yuan rise (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:15:32 -0500)
  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday that external calls for yuan appreciation were unhelpful and even a form of trade protectionism, vowing that Beijing would stick to its own course for currency reform.

  
  

  
  
  
• Greeks back austerity measures, oppose unrest: poll (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:25:28 -0500)
  ATHENS (Reuters) - Most Greeks think draconian austerity measures announced by the government earlier this month were along the right lines and many feel labor unions should not oppose them too aggressively, a poll showed.

  
  

  
  
  
• France's Lagarde not expecting decision on Greece (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:26:08 -0500)
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said on Saturday that she does not expect Euro zone finance ministers to make any decision on financial help for Greece when they meet next week.

  
  

  
  
  
• Kuwait Dar seeks government support (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:02:20 -0500)
  KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's Investment Dar , which owns half of British carmaker Aston Martin, is applying for support under a government facility set up for troubled companies as part of a debt restructuring.

  
  

  
  
  
• Swisscom CEO says Fastweb victim of fraud: report (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:16:48 -0500)
  ZURICH (Reuters) - The chief executive of Swisscom AG said Fastweb was a victim of fraud, a Swiss paper reported on Saturday, the second time the CEO has come out in defense of his company's subsidiary.

  
  

  
  
  

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• Dodd to Unveil a Comprehensive Financial Overhaul Bill (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:36:36 GMT)
  The proposal, to be unveiled on Monday, expands on shareholder provisions and hews in many ways to a proposal advanced by the White House, said people briefed on the legislation.
  
  
  
• The New Poor: For-Profit Schools Cashing In on Recession and Federal Aid (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:30:37 GMT)
  Commercial trade schools are under fire because they are attracting more students and Pell grants.
  
  
  
• Apple’s Spat With Google Is Getting Personal (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:54:22 GMT)
  Steve Jobs of Apple and Eric Schmidt of Google, once friends and allies, are now engaged in a gritty fight over the future of mobile computing and cellphones.
  
  
  
• Everybody’s Business: Shopping the Mortgage Rate Before the Home Price (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:03:38 GMT)
  One real estate broker has this advice for prospective homebuyers: “Predicting interest rates is a whole lot easier than predicting home prices.”
  
  
  
• How Men’s Overconfidence Hurts Them as Investors (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:57:20 GMT)
  During the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, men were much more likely than women to sell their stock at market lows, a new study has found.
  
  
  
• Economic View: Managed Care: Get Used to It (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:17:57 GMT)
  Like it or not, more cost control looks likely to flourish in any health plan, Tyler Cowen says.
  
  
  
• Novelties: From Camera to Computer, With Fiber Optic Links (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:01:42 GMT)
  Fiber optic links may soon help consumer gadgets and computers communicate with each other at ultrahigh speeds.
  
  
  
• Chinese Premier Says Yuan Will Remain ‘Basically Stable’ (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:05:12 GMT)
  Premier Wen Jiabao rejected foreign pressure over China’s exchange rate controls and said Sunday the Chinese currency will be kept “basically stable.”
  
  
  
• The Haggler: Capturing the Moments of Customer Frustration (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:05:26 GMT)
  When a Flip video camera won’t connect with a Mac laptop, a new father inadvertently embarks on a customer-service adventure.
  
  
  
• Mortgages: Even High-Score Borrowers at Risk of Mortgage Default (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:45:21 GMT)
  A high credit score won’t necessarily insulate borrowers from the home-foreclosure crisis, according to a new study from FICO.
  
  
  
• Ping: Labels Balk at Services to Stream Music to Various Devices (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:09:48 GMT)
  Music in the cloud, an Internet music service that everyone anticipates but which has not yet caught on, would cause problems for the music industry itself.
  
  
  
• The Boss: Jana Skewes, Keeping Track for Millions of Patients (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:31:52 GMT)
  When Jana Skewes had cancer, she kept her own medical records. Then she helped start a company that would do such record-keeping for millions of people.
  
  
  
• Career Couch: When Office Colleagues Have Conflicts (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:13:54 GMT)
  After a workplace argument, try to put yourself in your opponent’s shoes, a consultant advises.
  
  
  
• Letters: Homeownership’s Future (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:21:52 GMT)
  Re: “Mom, Apple Pie and Mortgages,” in which Robert J. Shiller said the nation might look at new methods of housing finance.
  
  
  
• Practical Traveler: Student Rates Available to Nonstudents (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:43:24 GMT)
  Even if your college days are a distant memory, it’s possible to travel on a student discount over spring break this year.
  
  
  
• Chicago News Cooperative: Support Network Seeks to Grow Biotech Companies (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:01:06 GMT)
  Efforts have begun to make Illinois in general and Chicago in particular a powerhouse of biotechnology companies like areas on both coasts.
  
  
  
• Fearing Drug Cartels, Reporters in Mexico Retreat (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:30:37 GMT)
  Attacks on the media along the border with the U.S. have resulted in what amounts to a news blackout.
  
  
  
• TV Sports: ESPN Shows Reggie Miller as a Straw That Stirred the Garden (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:42:02 GMT)
  A new ESPN documentary, “Winning Time,” profiles the playoff battles between the Knicks and Pacers during the 1990s.
  
  
  
• Why Would N.C.A.A. Expand Tournament? It’s About the Money (Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:35:55 GMT)
  With a larger television contract a strong possibility, the idea of increasing the number of teams to 96 in the tournament has gained momentum.
  
  
  
• Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy With My Blog and Building My Brand. (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:20:17 GMT)
  So-called mommy blogs were once little more than glorified electronic scrapbooks. Now they have evolved into a cultural force to be reckoned with.
  
  
  
• Essay: Take This Job and Write It - Literature of the Office (Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:42:17 GMT)
  Work has become central to most people’s self-conception. Why does fiction have so little to say about it?
  
  
  
• Fair Game: Private Equity and Wind Hellas: A Tale of Debt (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:08:19 GMT)
  In the Wind Hellas deal in Greece, the Texas Pacific Group and Apax Partners came out on top. Some who bought the company’s debt have not.
  
  
  
• Corner Office: Kip Tindell: Three Good Workers Equal One Who’s Great (Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:45:33 GMT)
  As C.E.O., Kip Tindell has based the foundation principles of the Container Store on collected snippets of wisdom.
  
  
  

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